Nigeria @ 66:GUU Founder ,Prof Ibe Hails Nigerians’ Resilience, Says Brighter Days Ahead
By Sleek Ogwo, Public Affairs Analyst
As Nigeria marks her 66th Independence anniversary as a sovereign state, the Founder of Gregory University Uturu, Prof. Gregory Ibe, has paid glowing tribute to the enduring spirit of Nigerians, describing their perseverance in the face of daunting economic and social challenges as the true reason the nation has remained standing.
In his Independence message released in Umuahia on Wednesday, Prof. Ibe, who spoke on behalf of the Chancellor, Council, Management, Staff and Students of the University, said 66 years represents full adulthood in the life of a nation, noting that Nigeria has had its fair share of joy and pain, abundance and lack.
According to him, the most remarkable element in the Nigerian story remains the citizenry. He commended Nigerians for their ability to keep hope alive, to smile through tears and to continue to believe in the country even when the system appears to have failed them.
Prof. Ibe observed that in the wake of government inadequacies, Nigerians have revived and sustained the age-long tradition of communal development. He noted that where roads have failed, communities have constructed them, where schools have decayed, town unions have rebuilt them, and where jobs have disappeared, youths have ingeniously created new economic pathways for themselves. He described this self-help spirit, anchored on the Igbo philosophy of Igwebuike, as proof that the soul of Nigeria remains alive, and urged citizens not to grow weary in sustaining the ingenuity which has helped preserve the nation.
He assured Nigerians that the present season of groaning would not last forever, insisting that the nation, though bruised by numerous challenges, remains unbroken and is poised for a rebound if the people remain steadfast.
On the forthcoming general elections in 2027, Prof. Ibe charged Nigerians to use the ballot as an instrument for national rebirth. He called for a new political consciousness where the electorate will reward good leaders and punish bad governance without recourse to partisan affiliation, ethnic considerations or religious sentiments.
He urged voters to interrogate the record of service of those who seek to lead them and to base their decisions on performance, compassion and fidelity to promises rather than on primordial loyalties.
Prof. Ibe wished Nigerians a happy 66th Independence anniversary, with prayers for the healing and prosperity of the nation.
